Harvest Moon
by Lunare Valhart
Summary: [AU Crossover, shounenai: Kaitaka, et al.] He left his life in the city for a chance to start over again, away from everything he knew. He didn’t quite expect to get what he found in the small village of Bayside...
1. Save the Homeland

**Harvest Moon**

By Lunare Valhart

Warnings: Shounen-ai/Shoujo-ai, boring farm stuff

Pairings: Tyka, et al.

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**Prologue: Save the Homeland**

A soft rain pattered against the windshield, creating a steady rhythm as he drove on in the shower. The temperature was pleasantly cool, leaving a fresh feel as he slowed to a stop in front of his complex. He liked it, really; it made him feel as if a heavy burden were lifted from his shoulders, even if tears, however unbidden, did leak out.

He reached behind him to retrieve his umbrella, many different thoughts cruising through his head. Groping around, he felt a corner of something jab into his hand, sending a small jolt of pain up his arm. Annoyed, and hissing an oath, he pulled out the offending object. He stopped short when his eyes fell upon it.

It was an iron picture frame, expert metalwork and staining done to make the engraving of the Japanese irises along the border appear realistic. Behind the glass was a yellowing photograph of three men and two women, all with smiles of varying degrees. The younger female looked to be in her early thirties, bright garnet eyes complementing the cheery teal sundress she was wearing. The elder of the two appeared to be somewhere in her sixties, the wrinkled corners of her lavender eyes shining with pride. The eldest male looked to be around the elderly woman's age, his steely eyes also having that prideful gleam. His large, weathered hand rested on the shoulder of the middle-aged man, who seemed to be in the middle of a mischievous prank as he and the third male, a little boy no older than six, shared a conspiring wink. At the forefront of the picture, the little boy was, somewhat awkwardly, holding up a small sheep dog, a blue ribbon attached to its soft leather collar. Behind them, a picturesque farmhouse with the corner of a barn and pasture could be seen, a faint splotch of white and black spotting the green field.

He remembered that farm, the old ranch his grandfather and father both grew up in. The farm his grandparents married in; the farm his parents met at; the farm he, himself, was born on. How _could_ he forget?

Sighing, he frowned bitterly at the elder men in the photograph. It had been their constant feuding that had disturbed the peaceful life he had as a child. Despite their wives' desperate attempts to sedate their tempers, it had done little good to calm the two stubborn men. Only distance and the eternal sleep of Death had finally ceased their struggles, with his grandfather now dead. The patriarch's cremation had been a month ago, and he, as the heir to his grandfather's self-made fortune, had to sort out the last of the old farmer-turned-businessman's finances.

The only problem now was what to _do_ with all the money.

Oh, sure—he knew his mother would have a handsome portion of the fortune, certainly enough for a woman living on her own to live out her days comfortably. But he would still end up with well over 6.5 million American dollars; far more than he needed, and far more than necessary. He had donated portions to various charities and organizations, but he still had so much...

He glanced sidelong at the bundle of papers he had found in his grandfather's office, stashed away behind the files and ledgers. He didn't know why his grandfather had pushed these papers away, but curiosity had struck him relentlessly, urging him to take the bundle with him back to his apartment. Somehow, he could feel that this, whatever it may've been, was important.

He tucked the picture into his jacket, along with the papers, and finally stepped out with his umbrella. The refreshing rainfall made a gentle beat against the waterproof fabric, and he allowed himself a faint smile. He didn't quite remember why, but rainy days were always pleasant for him. For most, including his few friends, these sort of days were cold and left them feeling dreary; his moods, however, seemed to take a better turn. Sure, he didn't like to get wet (an old habit from his teenage years, when he religiously wore face-paint for whatever reason; even the high-quality brand he used wasn't smudge-proof) but something about the sounds and smells and sights and even taste, to a degree, eased him into a calmer, more relaxed state of mind.

Trudging up to his apartment, sparsely decorated with small trinkets and a few awards for frivolous things, he decided to see just what those papers held. He sat down on his couch, looking at the dates for the oldest one and pulled out a yellowed manuscript.

He nearly dropped the entire bunch of papers, in shock of what he had just seen.

-----

The brunette sat languidly in the corner of the café, where he stirred at his mocha latte in disinterest. He had no idea why his old friend would call him out so suddenly, considering how conservative the older youth was. All that he had managed to pry from him in their quickly-squeezed conversation was that this was very, _very_ important.

"Well, I don't see what else it could be," He muttered to himself as he took a sip and looked out the window distastefully at the rain, "He never has anything to say, unless it's important."

"And this is no different."

The new voice caused him to jump, whipping his head to meet the stoic garnet-amethyst eyes of his childhood friend. He huffed in slight embarrassment, "Aw, Kai! Do you always have to sneak up on me like that?"

The older boy shrugged indifferently.

Rolling his eyes at his incorrigible friend, he gestured to the empty seat before him, to which Kai accepted. Shaking off some water droplets from his long slate bangs, the older youth pulled out what looked to be an impressive amount of old letters from his raincoat and unceremoniously dropped them on the table.

"Do you have any idea what these are, Wyatt?" Kai queried, knowing that the other youth had no clue to their value.

Wyatt gaped at the bundle. "_That_ is a lot of letters."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Smithwright," Kai snorted, "and close your mouth; it's demeaning. I found these in my grandfather's study, hidden. These are letters from the mayor of his hometown, about the property he used to own there."

Wyatt snapped out of his daze, curiosity piqued. "Wait, you mean your family farm? Why would the mayor of some small town in the middle of nowhere write to your hotshot grandpa about it?" Kai's steely gaze hardened somewhat, and Wyatt wasn't sure if it was the reason the mayor wrote his grandfather, or his small jab to the place the best years of the other's childhood were spent at.

He soon found out. "The first letter was dated four or so years ago, sometime around June; it was about my father's failing health. The next one said that my father was getting weaker, and he had to give up some of his animals and cut back the amount of crops he was growing. The third…" His pale fist clenched, and Wyatt had a sinking feeling that he already knew what the third letter contained. "The third said that my father had passed away, and his funeral arrangements were underway. He said that my father's will kept the family land just that. I get the feeling that was the only letter Grandfather responded to, because all the rest over the past few years were mostly the mayor's pleadings to respect his son's last wish." He looked at Wyatt seriously, a pleading look in his eyes. "You're the law major, Wyatt; I need your help. I don't know what to do."

Wyatt blinked, taken aback by his friend's plea. It was rare for Kai to push his pride aside to simply admit he wasn't always the best at something, let alone ask for assistance. Like his grandfather before him, the Hiwatari heir was a perfectionist by nature, and normally would take matters and projects into his own hands to ensure it met his standards. Needless to say, not very many people could tolerate working with him. And yet, here he was, open to suggestions and asking for guidance.

Who said you couldn't teach an old dog new tricks?

"Well…" Wyatt managed to force out, clearing his throat nervously, "I can safely assume your mother knows about this?" A brief pained look crossed his features.

"I told her just last night, after I finished reading them," He groaned, burying his face in his hands, "She was hysterical. I'm sure she expected Grandfather to tell her that her husband was dead, but she obviously didn't know him all that well."

Wyatt winced in sympathy. "And, what did she say about your father's will?"

"Quote, "We have to give your father some sort of respect, to reconcile the gap we've made between us; take the farm, and bring it and our family's honor back from death!" Unquote."

"Okay… A little melodramatic, but understandable," Wyatt reasoned, "And your grandfather obviously didn't want you to do it, otherwise he would have told you. What are your thoughts?"

"That's just it; I don't really know!" Kai grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, "I loved that farm as a kid, but I haven't been back there since Grandfather more or less disowned my father when I was seven. Gods, Wyatt, that's sixteen ago! I don't even think I have half the energy to keep up the farm, after spending so much time here in Tokyo. I _want_ to do it, even if just for my mother's sake, but…"

Wyatt sighed, leisurely taking a sip of his now-lukewarm mocha latte. "I don't know, Kai; the answer seems pretty obvious to me." Kai's red-lavender eyes darted up to meet the brunette's dark almond in slight annoyance and curiosity. "Take the farm for a trial run."

There was a pregnant pause.

"Excuse me?" Kai growled darkly, anger distinct, "That land is _not_ some used car from a dealership, Smithwright; it's been in my family for the past three generations, four if I accept the offer." Just as he was about to continue, Wyatt shielded himself with his hands in a placating manner.

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_, Kai!" He whimpered, shaking under the older boy's heated scowl he and some of their other friends had aptly dubbed 'the Fiery Glare of Doom', "I didn't mean it like that! I meant that you could take care of the farm for a couple of years or so, and _then_ make the decision whether to keep it or not! So if you decide to sell it, at least the land will be somewhat healthy again, and you won't have to hurt your mother's feelings by refusing like your grandfather did."

Once again, Kai fell silent, but it was more of a thoughtful one than the appalled lapse minutes before. It did sound like a good plan. He wouldn't necessarily be disappointing his distraught mother if he refused to continue, and at that point, the land could very well be quite livable and much easier to sell. And due to his grandfather's seemingly endless money flow, he didn't necessarily have to worry about college for a while; he had just finished a technical degree in Business Management, so university wasn't really a necessity. Plus, he had felt smothered in the city, and the country air _could_ be good for his health…

"That does sound like a good plan," Kai answered finally, getting up to leave and grabbing his coat, "I'll head back home to write to the mayor, and it should be a clear path from there."

"Good luck, Kai!" Wyatt called after him as he headed out the door, slipping his hood on.

He noticed that the gloom of the morning shower had faded, and now amidst the rain, beams of sunlight were clear.

-----

"Final call!" The parson bellowed from the ferry's deck, "All ashore who's going ashore! Final call!…"

Kai heaved a sigh, leaning against the rail of the ferryboat as the last of the passengers scurried on board with medicines and last-minute trinkets. Two weeks ago, this had sounded like a wonderful idea, but reality was rearing its ugly head as the weight of what he was doing fell on his shoulders.

He hadn't been fooling, when he had said that it had been far too long since he had done any real farm work; he considered himself lucky that he still knew how to work with the basic tools. Both his mother and the mayor insisted that farming was like learning how to ride a bicycle – plenty of bumps and bruises, but you never forgot it – but he had decided to spend the days he wasn't packing reading up on agriculture and ranches. Better safe than sorry, after all.

The ferry's whistle blared, and the boat was soon headed out into open water and towards the small, oceanside village he remembered only vaguely from his youth.

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A/N: In case you haven't noticed, this is a general Harvest Moon and Beyblade crossover. I say general because this is not based on any one game in the series. I'll leave the Harvest Moon game references at the end of the chapter. Like so:

HARVEST MOON REFERENCES

**Title**—It comes from the second Playstation game, where you have to save the village from becoming developer feeding grounds. I think they want to make an amusement park… sweatdrop

**The photograph**—This comes from HM64, where collecting photographs is one of the little side things you can do.

**Inheritance of the farm—**Okay, in theory, this applies to all the games. In most, you inherit it from your late grandpa; and in one or two, you inherit it from your late father.

**The time limit**—This _does_ apply to all of them. Depending on the game, you will have at the very least a year to restore the farm.

And the disclaimer: Harvest Moon is © Natsume and Nintendo. Beyblade is © Aoki Takao and a whole slew of animation studios. Will try to avoid OCs. Thank you.


	2. Back to Nature

**Harvest Moon**

By Lunare Valhart

Warnings: Shounen-ai/Shoujo-ai, boring farm stuff

Pairings: Tyka, ReiMao, et al.

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**Chapter One: Back to Nature**

"_You'll always remember me, right?"_

"_If you remember me, I will."_

"_Hm, okay! Sounds fair enough."_

_A gentle peal of laughter…_

The boat gave a sharp lurch, jolting him from his light doze. The varying cries of the other passengers could be heard throughout the small ferry, coupled with the bawling of small children. He gave a light snort, only vaguely wondering what had caused it.

A screech from the intercom quickly answered. "Attention, this is your captain speaking. We apologize for the sudden stop, but we are now at Turtle Cove Harbor. All passengers leaving at Turtle Cove Harbor, please collect your belongings and exit the boat. That is all."

Kai blinked, unconsciously grabbing his knapsack and duffel bag carrying his clothes and necessities, and stepped out onto the deck. His grip tightened when he saw the cheery harbor, filled to the brim with people selling goods and supplies from all reaches. The smells of fish were the most evident, ranging from a faint, pleasant waft to a musky, very briny odor. A myriad of people, from seadogs to little obedient housewives, made their own mark in the minute vastness of the harbor's collage.

He stepped down the ramp, feeling slightly overwhelmed by his surroundings and slapping himself for it. He came from _Tokyo_, for Gods' sake; he shouldn't feel the least bit stuffy here! He shook off his apprehension and made his way purposefully through the crowd. He shouldered through, eager to make his way to the train station and finish the final leg of his journey.

The station fell into his sight, and he could feel his pace quicken. He remembered quite clearly from his childhood that the harbor, while quite busy, was never to this extent. It made him wonder just how much the small village had changed – if it were even that, anymore. He stepped up to the ticket booth and met the chipper pale features of the ticket master with his opposing mask of indifference.

"Hi, how may I help you?" The boy smiled brightly, the freckles speckling his nose giving him an even younger appearance than he probably was.

Kai grunted, "One ticket to Bayside Village." The boy's smile suddenly faded into a look of shock before blushing brightly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry – you're Hiwatari Kai, right?" Kai only managed to nod slightly before the boy gave a nervous laugh, running his hand through his unruly wheat blond locks. "Yeesh, I really need to start paying more attention. Don't worry about the ticket; Mr. Dickenson already paid."

The red-violet-eyed youth blinked in surprise. "Well… That was unnecessarily generous of the mayor." The blond nodded, the cheer from before returning. He handed Kai a small slip of paper.

"Here's the receipt, so the conductor will let you on. Your train is boarding in ten minutes," The teller explained, "Oh, and could you say hi to my mom for me? She runs the clinic in Bayside. I lived there my whole life, then I moved here a few years ago. It's nice that you're going to take your dad's farm up; it was depressing, seeing that place so empty. Susumu was a great guy."

Kai paused, feeling a faint pang of guilt for reasons he wasn't completely sure. "…Yeah, I guess."

"All passengers headed for Bayside Village, please begin boarding now. We will be leaving shortly."

"Well, that's your call," The teller sighed, straightening his uniform out, "I'll stop by on my vacations to see how you're doing, since I come every major festival. See ya then!"

Kai sighed quietly and walked towards the boarding platform, failing to catch the mischievous, almost purposeful twinkle in the blond's bright blue eyes.

-----

The train slowed to a shrill stop, the squeaks from the breaks creaking as they ground against the metal of the tracks. Kai stared out the window reflectively as blurred images of mountainsides and wildlife passed by. He could hear the muted conversations of the other car passengers, but they didn't particularly interest him. What looked to be a traveler in mountain clothes sat at the back of the car, shifting restlessly in the cotton cushions and the only other to sit in silence. Another passenger, a young woman with long blonde hair and a pair of threadbare overalls, sat alone, but with a small MP3 playing some light-hearted classical piece and tapping her foot along with the melody, occasionally humming bars she liked. A rose-haired woman with pale skin held onto a flower basket, talking genially with the young girl with ginger curls next to her. Others included the brunette farm girl who was deep in conversation with a busty red-haired woman, a trio of small children, and a girl with glasses flipping through a book with a capped youth.

Considering this, could he really be blamed for keeping to himself?

He kept busy with his own thoughts, trying to imagine what his family lands looked like after three years of neglect. From the teller's tone, he knew for sure it had indeed fallen into disrepair. His largest fear was, just how much?

The train slowed again, and sights he could mistily recollect from long ago were trickling back into the forefront of his memory. He knew that his stop was coming soon, without even looking at the map like he was earlier.

"_It's always the eighth stop from the harbor."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because the number eight is a lucky number, and this place is a lucky place…"_

He saw a mountain in the shortening distance, and knew that it was where he would be staying; the single tree that crested the natural monument was such a strange sight that it would never be erased from his memory.

Sure enough, as the train drew closer, he could make out the silhouette of a bustling rustic village, alive with activity. "Attention, passengers: we are approaching Bayside Village. All passengers leaving at Bayside Village should collect their belongings and prepare to disembark. Thank you."

Kai sighed, his thoughts racing. _This is it – there's no turning back, now._

The train slowed to a halt, and he rose to walk out of his car and into his new life. _I can't look back; I can't afford to back out now._

As he traveled down the length of the aisle, the other passengers glanced at him curiously, making him feel all the world like a bride moving towards her husband-to-be. _I don't know what trials lie before me, but I will not be bested by them._

He hesitated slightly when he was at the exit, a wave of uncertainty chaining him back. _I've got to do this; I won't let this simple threshold hold me back!_

And then, he stepped into brilliant daylight. _I've past the point of no return._ He then stopped, feeling somewhat embarrassed. _Did I just paraphrase an entire Broadway song?_

"Hiwatari Kai!"

The city youth started slightly, turning to see an elderly man in a suit and a bowler hat. The man had a jovial appearance, and the twinkling in his dark brown eyes reflected a kind and generous nature. To his annoyance, Kai felt his guards lowering; he knew it would be a bad habit in a nosy little place like this, to be distant and cold, but it had been one of his only defenses against his grandfather and crueler peers' harshness. He wasn't quite ready to lose it, yet.

The portly elder gentleman looked him in the eye, a pleasant smile wrinkling his features. "You are, indeed, Soichiro's grandson and Susumu's son; I see the same tenacity the two shared, along with Soichiro's sharp mind and Susumu's determination. Thank you for coming. It means so much to the village."

Kai gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. "Thank you for allowing me to arrive on such short notice."

"And your sweet mother's manners!" The mayor laughed, "As you already know, I am Mr. Dickenson, the mayor of Bayside Village. Come! I will give you a grand tour of the village." Kai shifted the weight of his bags nervously.

"Shouldn't I…?"

Mr. Dickenson waved it off. "Oh, nonsense! I'll have one of the villagers drop your belongings off at the farm, later." He turned behind him and called, "Kane!"

From the crowd, a spiky-haired bluenette appeared. "Yeah, Mr. Dickenson?"

"Kane is the son of our village shipper," Mr. Dickenson explained to Kai, "His father collects items we wish to sell at the harbor."

"Here, I'll take that," Kane offered cheerfully as he relieved the city boy of his belongings, "You should like it here; we have more activity than some of the smaller villages on the cove."

"Follow me, Kai." Mr. Dickenson led him out of the train station and into the village he would be calling home for the next few years.

-----

Kai wasn't sure what about the village surprised him more: the size or the people.

Years ago, the village was of moderate size, and not very populated. Now, it had more than doubled in size and activity, and the different kinds of people that in the outside world would have never gotten along were very tight-knit here. All the old shops and places he knew before were enlarged to hold a larger capacity, and new buildings spotted the village all over. The central plaza had been a favorite haunt of his when he was young, and now small vending stands stood at its perimeter, offering refreshments and various items to passer-byes. He had to give Mr. Dickenson credit; he somehow managed to expand the village without compromising the air of homecoming this village always had.

The people, motley as they were when he was a boy, only grew in quaintness.

"This is the smithy and the newly-added mechanics' shop," Mr. Dickenson explained as they came across a double-building, two signs on the front to differentiate the two shops, "They are run by a father-son team that moved here roughly six years ago, when the boy's mother died in an accident. The blacksmith, Dr. Zagart, is a very intelligent man; I have the feeling he and your grandfather would have gotten along well. His son, Zeo, is a cheery boy. He grew more interested in mechanics and started a repair shop, something his father was very proud of. My nephew, Kenny, helps him out at times."

He nodded in acknowledgment. He had already met the little ginger-brunette earlier at the library, where he worked. The boy was very shy, and seemed to fluster easily. He was glad the bespectacled boy had never left the area of the cove; he would have been defenseless in the rough world of the city.

At that moment, a petite youth poked his aqua-tinged head out from the door of the mechanics' shop, a long, loose braid falling over his shoulder. "Hi, Mr. Dickenson! Is that the new guy?"

"Good day to you, Zeo," Mr. Dickenson greeted cordially, "and yes, he is. Kai, this is Zeo Zagart. Zeo, this is Kai Hiwatari."

"Hi!" Zeo chirped, greeting him with a small bow, "I'd shake hands, but…" Apologetically, he revealed his oil-stained hands and Kai could now see the end of his braid was inky, as if he had been using it to paint. Zeo saw where his eyes were and laughed nervously. "Yeah, I should probably get it cut, but I'm terrified of what my sister would do to me when she found out."

Kai looked at him oddly. "Sister?"

"Zeo's sister is our town singer, Ming-Ming," Mr. Dickenson elaborated, "She sings at the square every Sunday, and despite her petite size, she can be rather wicked when riled. She normally is a very sweet girl, though."

Conspiringly, Zeo added in a stage whisper, "Don't mention her around Hiromi, if you value your health; that girl's temper can shoot up faster than spring turnips!"

Kai nodded and filed that bit of information away. He had seen how quick to anger the brunette girl was earlier, when one of the other villagers tried to get away from her family's store without paying. He remembered the store well enough, but surprisingly forgot the people who ran it. So far, with every familiar place, that had been the case – he had forgotten the people in his childhood with the passage of time.

Mr. Dickenson led him towards a colorful shop, the air surrounding it rich and perfumed. "This is the gardeners' shop, run by a young couple that will be wed shortly – in a matter of weeks, really. This is where you will be able to purchase and order seeds and topsoil."

As he filed the information away, a young man stepped out of the shop to greet them. "Hello, Mr. Dickenson. Nice weather we're having this afternoon." He turned to Kai with a smile, golden eyes shining and a faint glimpse of an elongated canine from under his lip. "My name's Rei Kon. I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other, since you're tackling the farm."

"I guess."

A rose-haired young woman stepped out from the greenhouse, holding a watering can in her slender hands. "Rei? Who's out there?"

Rei called over his shoulder, "The new farmer! Come and say hi!"

There was a faint cry of embarrassment, and the woman darted across the lot to meet the two. "Oh, I'm sorry! I wish I could have tidied up the shop a little more, but I've barely gotten the chance to care for our plants, I've been running around like crazy to prepare for the wedding!"

"Mao," Rei laughed as she went red in shame, "Breathe! I'd like to have a _living_ wife, thank you!"

She slapped his arm playfully, "Oh, yeah? How about _you_ wear the dress and _I_ stand around and only worry about remembering my lines?"

"No, thank you!"

"Kai, this is Mao Wong, Rei's fiancée," Mr. Dickenson explained, "Her great-uncle runs the medicine shop near the library."

"I see." Vaguely, Kai wondered if he should've kept his promise to the ticket master at the harbor, having already passed the clinic and Dr. Tate. He immediately shrugged it off, figuring that he'd get around to it sooner or later.

The pair left the engaged couple and made their way down the lane, where a large number of children were gathered. Kai paused, watching them oddly. This building did seem very familiar, and the sight of the children around it also gave an air of familiarity.

"This is—"

"The dojo," Kai interrupted, a furrow in his brow, "I can't believe this; after all this time, the dojo's still the same?"

Mr. Dickenson sighed, "I'm afraid that the _sensei_ refuses to have his dojo expanded. Something akin to family tradition?" He watched the children knocking at their own intervals, all begging to be let in. "I have the strangest feeling someone decided to run off again."

Kai glanced back. "Who?"

"The _sensei's_ younger grandson," He responded, a faint laugh in his voice, "The boy may be an adult now, but he is still a child at heart. He does little jobs all over the village to help out with our income, but we are at our wit's end with the competing villages, because of our lack of a farm."

"So that's why you wanted someone in my family to take it up, again," Kai realized, "Without the farm, the entire village could fall into poverty."

"Yes, Kai," Mr. Dickenson sighed, "This is why I spent the last three years trying to convince your grandfather into letting you take over for your father; it was already in your name."

For a long moment, Kai was silent.

"…Mayor?"

"Hm?"

"I'd like to see the farm, now."

"…Very well. But I warn you, it is far from its days of glory."

-----

It was like time had rewound itself to the days before his family had settled in.

The land was barren, scraggly weeds and blown-over trees dotting the once-green pastures. The barn, once a rich red, now was dull with wind and rain. Rocks carried in from summer hurricanes made holes in the land, and it seemed as if were the only signs of life were the crows and insects that were creeping all over the property.

It looked _nothing_ like it had that spring afternoon, coming back from a triumph at the plaza…

"What…?"

"I am truly sorry for this shock, Kai," Mr. Dickenson said remorsefully, "After your father's death, several villagers tried to farm this place, but it was simply too much for them. It's only gotten worse over the years."

"I can assure you, Mayor," Kai ground out, "that I will bring this farm back from… _this!_" He shook his head. "I'm glad I convinced Mother not to come; this would've been too much for her."

Mr. Dickenson stared at the fraught, resolute young man before smiling weakly. "I have a feeling you will. Your things are at the inn, currently; once the house is livable again, you can move in. And Kai? Thank you, for giving us this last shred of hope."

The young man was silent as the mayor walked back towards the village, a firm look of determination etched deeply into his features.

"'Like the phoenix from its ashes flies, so will Suzaku's lands rise'," Kai quoted, remembering his grandmother's stories here in this place, "So it was then, so it will be now: Suzaku Farm _will_ be brought back!"

-----

A/N: Okay, so I guess I deserve the 'WTF?' treatment, for both my (long-term) absence and the content of the story. I have an excuse! College sucks and I lack the time for real relaxation. Tell it to my dad, who seems insistent that every time he sees me, I should be studying and not on necessary brain breaks he always catches me on. Yeesh.

HARVEST MOON REFERENCES:

**Title**—From the first Playstation HM, which is just the typical story.

**The town**—It's based off of all the different games I've been exposed to. The fancy plaza from _Back to Nature_, the more traditional inn from _A Wonderful Life_, the conjoined mechanics' shop and blacksmithy from _HM64_…

**Other train passengers**—Actually, these are different characters from the series. If you can name them all, I shall dub you a bigger HM nerd than me and hide.

**The farm**—Dranzer's Japanese name; it didn't sound as nice when I tried to use the English.

And the most important, which I forgot to mention last chapter…

**Kai as the farmer**—This is partially Rumi-Chan's fault, partially the game's, and mostly mine. Rumi's for a little something she has on her dA account somewhere, mine for putting it together, and the game's for having a character named Kai in it to begin with… who's the complete opposite of our Kai.

OTHER REFERENCES (just to avoid lawsuits):

**Kai's inner Broadway monologue**—Sorry, that's a result of too much Phantom. sweatdrop

**Names of Kai's family**—Their names actually do come from the manga, and as his mother's name doesn't seem to be mentioned, she doesn't get one, yet.

REVIEW RESPONSES:

(luvyagal) I hope the mentions of the dojo were enough to help you figure out how Tyson fits in.

(Rumi-Chan) Hard to believe, huh? Well, that's what I get for going into college early… -coughthreeyearsearlycoughhack-

(Kaay-chan) I got that coming to me, but that's what I get for being such a stickler on details… On another note, you won't hold it against me if I delete some of those stories so I can start VN from scratch again, right? I'm tired of the Zelda add-ons. As for the muse situation…

Aya: -in a bottle with LV's old textbooks over it- You can't keep in here forever!

LV: And you can't get out if the only exit's blocked. -cackle-

(Chaimera) I stopped for a while because my parents were running me off the computer constantly, not to mention they have the odd habit of reading over my shoulder, which makes me nervous to write anything. It wasn't a problem before, since I could just lock the computer room when they started to bug me, but now it's in the most open area of the house.

Disclaimer: Harvest Moon is © Natsume and Nintendo. Beyblade is © Aoki Takao and a whole slew of animation studios. Still trying to avoid OCs. Thank you.


	3. Boy Meets Boy

**Harvest Moon**

By Lunare Valhart

Warnings: Shounen-ai/Shoujo-ai, boring farm stuff

Pairings: Tyka, ReiMao, et al.

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**Chapter Two: Boy Meets Boy**

Kai quickly learned that his earlier fears were very correct.

For the past week, he had been up at the crack of dawn, a habit from his childhood he had never grown out of (thankfully), to spend his days weeding the field and attempting to move the tree stumps and stones from the pasture. The old tools he had found gathering dust in the tool-shed were heavy and he had to take more breaks than he would have liked due to his newness to their weight.

On the plus side, he had quite a bit of lumber, now.

He had managed to clear out enough of the field to start a patch of turnips, learning from his father's notes and Rei and Mao's advice that they were the fastest growing crop for spring. They didn't sell for as high a price as cabbages and potatoes, but every bit of effort counted. While he waited for the turnips to grow, he had gone into the mountain with his father's fishing pole and basket to collect mountain foodstuff and catch fish to sell. He may've had the money to buy the equipment to speed the process, but he had plans to save his inheritance for something later on.

…Such as repairing the buildings.

He groaned as he felt a kink in his back that refused to untie, his hands sore and red from pulling the scraggly grasses and lifting heavy stones. The girl at the counter looked at him in concern.

"Hiwatari-san, I understand that you want the farm up and running as soon as possible," She scolded softly as she poured him a glass of water, which he downed quickly, "but you're still getting used to the workload; try to pace yourself! It won't do the farm any good if you collapse from fatigue."

Kai stared blankly at her, faint rings under his red-violet eyes. The girl sighed, brushing a lock of auburn hair from her brown eyes. "You aren't going to listen to me, are you?"

He placed his glass down and picked up his bag. "I have to get back to work. The farm won't fix itself, and it's been under for far too long."

The girl sighed again, this time in aggravation at the young man's stubbornness.

As he stepped out, another friendly face walked in, giving Kai a quick greeting before sitting himself at the counter. "Mornin', Salima!" He grinned, placing a small bag of coins on the counter, "I'll take the specialty!"

"Daichi, you get the specialty all the time!" Salima laughed as she called towards the kitchen to alert the cook, "Hey, Gary! The Rising Sun Platter!"

A tall, muscled man poked his head out, a thick brow lifted curiously. "Daichi or the other one?"

"Daichi."

"Ah. Okay." There was the sound of breaking eggshell, as Gary called out, "Hey, what happened to the other one, anyway? Haven't seen him around lately…"

The small redhead made a face. "Oh, _him_? Gramps had him go to the harbor a few days ago to buy some supplies for the dojo; lucky guy. I don't see how _that's_ supposed to be punishment for going off into thin air the other day! _I_ get stuck doing both our chores while he plays hooky on the mountain, and _he_ gets to go to town!"

Salima paused in her cleaning, a furrow marking her face. "I think it does count as punishment; he's the only one in the village who hasn't met Kai yet. He was so annoyed the other day when he came back from the mountain and discovered he had missed him. You know how much he was looking forward to meeting him. Being sent to town only counts in delaying their encounter."

Daichi snorted, "Ah, come on! Just for some new guy?"

Salima had to admit, it did seem odd that the younger Kinomiya would get so worked up over meeting someone. Then again, the last new person to the village was the red-haired boy at the counter, who had arrived barely two years ago. Daichi was an orphan that had a habit of making himself at home in the dojo, which annoyed the real heir to no end. The novelty had quickly worn off and the two had been bickering with each other constantly for months, sometimes escalating to even worse quarrels than the ones the two youths had with Hiromi at the store over prices.

Gary stepped out of the kitchen with a steaming bowl of noodles topped with pickled radishes, tempura, and a fried egg. "Here you go." Daichi grinned and dug in ravenously, making the lone female wonder about his heat threshold. "By the way, when is he coming back?"

Through the noodles, the youth grumbled, "Sometime this afternoon."

-----

"Headed back?"

"Yeah… Man, I can't believe Grandpa did this to me! Just because Zeo's dad wanted some silver from the mines to craft into a gift for his daughter…"

"Hey, tough luck." He ran his fingers through his blond hair, brow furrowing at the times for departure. "Sorry, bud, but you can't head back now."

"Aw, c'mon, Max! A favor for an old friend?"

"I'm afraid I can't let you! Your ticket says your train leaves at two-thirty, and it's fifteen to ten; I know you want to get back as soon as possible to finally meet the guy, but I think you can wait a few more hours."

"Aw, man! Everybody's against me!"

-----

Kai wiped his brow with the bandanna around his neck, breath short and dripping with sweat. He really was beginning to wonder if all this was worth it.

After watering his turnips, already sprouting in spite of the rest of the field's condition ("I could've sworn I planted those three days ago!" He had announced in astonishment) he had immediately gone to work on breaking up a particularly large boulder that had ended up right in the middle of the pasture. Beating at it with the pick only managed to chip in a small hole in the impact area, and so far, the hammer wasn't much of an improvement.

Glaring at the round crack in the side of the boulder, he was beginning to wonder if what he needed was a jackhammer.

"Maybe I'm going at this the wrong way," Kai mumbled to himself, "I should concentrate on breaking the boulder, and hitting one side alone is not doing it. So…" To test his theory, he walked around to the other side and started to hammer there. After a while, there was a slight crackling sound. He looked over the large rock and saw the thin fissures from the previous hole expanding. He smirked triumphantly.

Encouraged by this success, he continued his new strategy with renewed vigor.

For the next hour, he heaved the hammer to beat against the large boulder in a sort of rhythm, like the drum beat of warring armies. Pieces began to fall off the main body, and the stone became smaller and smaller until it was of reasonable size and weight to lift the pieces off towards the pile he had started earlier that week to accommodate the stones until he figured what to do with them.

Hot, sweaty, and tired, he pulled a watch from his pocket. Twelve noon. "I think I should call it a day with the rocks, for now," He muttered to himself, glancing at the still rock-laden field, "I'd better forage the mountain for supplies before Kane and his father come to collect at five." It seemed to be a good time to take the innkeeper's advice about going a little easier on the land. Clearing more of the fields of the long scraggly weeds to plant more crops would be the next step, when he came back.

Picking himself up, he trudged towards the entrance of the land, passing the small, decrepit house his father once lived in. He gave it a glance, wary of entering. He blamed his hesitance on the poor condition of the building, but inside he knew it was for another reason.

He didn't want to be condemned to the life his father led, of isolation from the people he cared about.

The whole idea was ridiculous, really. Avoiding the house because of a silly fear of being alone? Kai had spent most of his life being surrounded by people, mostly against his will, and preferred getting away from the hustle and bustle of society; it was part of the reason he had convinced himself so easily to take up the farm for a few years. To be afraid of such a pointless thing seemed too… _sappy_ for him. And Hiwatari Kai was anything but sappy.

"I don't have time to poke around that heap, anyway," He scoffed, purposefully striding out onto the dirt road outside the farmland and turning towards the mountain path, "The sooner I can get the farm up and running, the better."

The path eventually gave way to thicker and fuller trees, canopies lacing together to form a light-dappled roof over the forest floor. The path curved downward and forked into two directions, one towards the ocean and the other farther into the forest. He followed the road into the forest, feeling little need to fish at the moment. Besides, he didn't have the rod on him and he wasn't about to head back to retrieve it.

The path vanished into the dirt and leaves, and mushrooms could be seen dotting the areas beneath the trees. Several thorny bushes laden with dark berries almost half the size of his thumb could be made out in the dim forest light, practically dripping their juices. Stone walls cut from the mountain created a near-vertical slope, almost impossible to scale without the use of equipment. A crevice carved from wind, rain, and time hollowed out a small cave, which held signs of usage, if the lanterns at the entrance were any indication. Kai remembered hearing about a mine being made in the cave, and made a mental note to inspect it later, when he had the time.

He started to collect the mushrooms, careful not to damage them in case they popped. He knew better than to take too many, some of the village's old customs so drilled into him that he found he _couldn't_ forget them; something about upsetting the balance of the mountain, and the spirits taking something from the thief's own land…? Either way, it was a little detail he wasn't particularly interested in.

His stomach made a noise of protest as he approached a berry bush, demanding nutrients for the rest of the body. Kai hissed an oath and glared at the offending organ, which elicited another whine. He groaned and grudgingly ate a berry, proceeding to ignore any other demands for now. True, he hadn't been eating as well as he had in the city, but there was too much work to be done here to provide himself with the three meals a day he had grown accustomed to then.

As he continued to pick the berries, he felt a slight pounding in his head. Noting its lack of severity, he simply shrugged it off and continued with his work. He pushed himself further along the line of bushes, eager to get his work done so he could go back to the farm and start weeding. He brushed against something in the brush, and suddenly he found himself yanking his hand back with a sharp wince and several thorns embedded in it. From another opening in the bush, a small bird flew out, perching on a higher branch and squawking irritably at him.

He had enough materials to ship for the day, he sourly concluded as he nursed his injured hand and glancing at the mostly-filled basket. Glancing at his watch again, he also noticed the time: two-ten. He had spent longer in the forest than he originally planned.

He hoisted up the basket to his shoulders, making his way back to the path and eventually to the farm. As sunlight hit his eyes, the mild headache he had shrugged off earlier had increased three-fold, sending a jolt of pain through his temple. Shaking it off, he continued down the path back to Suzaku Farm. To his discomfort, the pounding seemed to take up residence in his ears, sending a constant rhythm of rushing blood back and forth in his head. His legs were beginning to feel like lead weights were attached to them, and it became harder to keep walking.

Nevertheless, he forced himself across the threshold of the property, glad to finally be rid of his load from the forest. He emptied the contents of the basket into the shipping bin outside the feeble old house and left the basket nearby, too tired to place it back in the abandoned chicken coop he had originally found it in. He needed his strength for other things.

All the warning bells to call it a day were ignored as he trudged over to the wild grasses and began to yank them out, ignoring his injured hand and trying to get as much done as he could. He kept his pace, grabbing the weeds near the roots to pull them out and making sure he didn't lose his speed. The sharp leaves cut into his skin, driving the thorns in deeper and irritating the sore scrape from the bird's beak back in the forest.

A sudden wave of vertigo hit him and he had to stop, steadying himself with one hand. He shook his head to clear it, but the spinning only increased in intensity. He could feel the sweat dripping off of him, but he was too exhausted to reach for his bandanna. His own weight became too much for him, and he felt his arms buckle before he collapsed against the hard soil of the field.

Too tired to try picking himself up, he let himself succumb to the blackness at the edges of his vision.

-----

"_What're you doing here, anyway?"_

"_I live here!"_

"_I've never seen you before."_

"_Well, I've never seen you before, either."_

For some reason, he could smell chemicals.

The scent of preservative fluids and alcohol were strong, and he winced at every memory he had with those smells. He almost thought he had gone blind, until a nagging notion in the back of his mind told him he simply had his eyes closed. Hushed voices could be heard nearby, but while some were vaguely familiar, another was not.

"…to be all right."

"Thank the Gods… Scared me senseless, seeing him just lying there in the field!" The unfamiliar voice huffed, worry and relief clear in tone.

At the mention of the field, he suddenly jolted. Everything came flooding back; the rocks, the forest, the weeding… He tried to open his eyes, but the white ceiling was a stark contrast to the darkness he was in just moments before.

"Kai, don't be stubborn," Dr. Tate snapped as she and her assistant forced him back down onto the bed, "You fainted from exhaustion; you need rest!"

He managed to croak, "But… the farm…" before he realized his throat was too dry for decent speech. A pair of someones helped him into a sitting position and he felt his head getting tipped back.

"The farm's not going anywhere!" The unknown from before growled as Kai distantly recognized its pitch as male. He guessed the thicker fingers allowing crisp water to trickle into his opened mouth were his, as the other pair of hands felt smaller and the hard material of nails was far more evident. Emily, the doctor's assistant, if his memory served him right. "I can't believe how thick-headed you are! I can understand that Suzaku Farm is important to you, but no one's going to be able to tame it if you don't learn how to take breaks! I _swear_ you weren't this bad when you were a kid!"

That last sentence seemed to hang in the air as Kai registered what the other male in the room had said. Little pieces of childish conversations from long ago seemed to swarm him, begging him to remember a name to be salvaged from his long neglected memories of this place. Yet try as he might, nothing sprung to mind; this familiar stranger's voice only triggered little pointless memories, and nothing more.

Cracking open his eyes, he turned to look towards the voice. The skin of a toned, lithe arm greeted him, a faint mocha in color. The wispy tip of a ponytail could be seen somewhere near the middle of the other youth's back. Glancing to the other's face, he could see a pair of very annoyed dusky indigo eyes glowering at his own form, the youth's unknowing chewing on his lower lip giving away his nervousness.

The face seemed familiar. The voice seemed familiar. But no name crawled out of his neglected memories. "Do I know you from someplace…?" To his surprise, the other youth lit up considerably.

"So you do remember me!" He laughed, "Max owes me two-thousand yen now!" Emily reached over and swatted his arm.

"He didn't recognize you officially, Takao." The ginger-haired girl huffed, "Technically, Max won your little bet."

"Hey, he still _felt_ like he should know me; that counts for something, right?"

"Hah. Nice try."

"What are you talking about?" Kai demanded, still annoyed at his own weakness. Takao, as Emily had called him, rolled his eyes at her and looked back at him.

"You really don't remember much from here, do you?" He sighed, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands behind his head, "I guess life in the city really takes a lot out of you. Name's Kinomiya Takao; my grandpa runs the dojo."

Kai nodded softly, processing the information. He figured it wouldn't be too difficult to remember this one; as he said, he truly did feel as if he knew him, and quite well. Perhaps, they knew each other as children here? It would certainly explain why the dojo stuck out among the other buildings in town.

Dr. Tate coughed slightly, getting his attention. "Kai, I'm afraid that you will need to rest for the remainder of the day here. You spent much of your energy working the past week, and pushing yourself any harder will only result in your return here. I'd rather prefer to see you outside the office, if you please."

Begrudgingly, Kai nodded.

Emily glanced at her papers and looked coolly at him. "Of course, to make sure you're taking your breaks throughout the day, we're going to have to check up on you." _That_ caught his attention, and he glowered darkly at her. "Well, if you had simply paced yourself like we've been saying for the past few days, this wouldn't have happened. Rome wasn't built in a day, and your farm won't recover overnight."

"I'll do it." Everyone looked at Takao, who had a faint grin on his pleasant features. "I can make sure he takes his breaks, and that he eats and all that. I've done it often enough when Kenny and Zeo get a little too excited about new projects they come up with, so it's nothing new."

Kai scowled. "I don't need a babysitter."

Without missing a beat, Takao shot back, "Apparently, you do." He gestured to the bed the older youth was confined to with a raised brow, as if waiting for an explanation. Having none, Kai sulked to himself, nursing his bruised pride.

Takao smiled to himself. Yep, just like the old days.

-----

A/N: Anyone else think the new system's off? Oh, well. Can't win everything. :grabs suitcase: Either way, I'm off to Caguas due to my great-grandmother's fading health (she's, like, 93 and in a hospice). So, see you next time!

And for the record? Hospitals suck. Really.

HARVEST MOON REFERENCES  
Uh, I got nothing. Sorry.

Disclaimer: Harvest Moon is © Natsume and Nintendo. Beyblade is © Aoki Takao and a whole slew of animation studios. Still trying to avoid OCs. Thank you.


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